Sled



Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES assen PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH LESLIE, OF SOUTH IEOBTLAND, MAINE.

SLED.

Application filed March 17, 1924. Serial No. 699,687.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH A. LESLIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleds, of which the following is-a specification.

My invention relates to the type of sleds having flexible runners, that is to say, the runners are laterally flexible and the sled is steered by meansof foot levers which are turned from side to side by the foot.

These sleds are usually built of a frame construction and generally carry round shoes which bend with the runners.

When these sleds are provided with solid. runners and the iron shoes are shifted to steer the sled, the shoes get out of place with relation to the bottom of the runner.

In other words, the round shoe does not follow the wooden bottom of the runner so that it remains in the center.

When the forward end of the sled is swung around, the round iron, whereit is bent to its greatest extent, is liable to bend away from the runner so that the two are not coincident vertically and the runner does not bear evenly upon the round shoe.

According to my invention and in order to have the two members, that is, the runner and the shoe co-operate and work together I make the two sides of the sled of strips of wood, an upper strip and an under strip in which the under strip is more flexible than the upper strip and bends more easily.

As a result of this construction when the sled is flexed from side to side the round shoe remains in the center of the runner bearin evenly thereon, the runners are more pliable in both directions and the sled steers more readily and accurately.

I have illustrated my invention by means of the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a central vertical section taken longitudinally of the sled when in its unflexed or central position.

Fig. 2 is a plan of a ortion of the lower strip 2 of the runner, orward of the cross piece 4, where the lower strip is made thinner than the upper strip.

Fig. 3 is a plan of the sled looking from the bottom upward and when in its flexed position on its back. I

Fig. 4 is a plan of the rear end of the runner.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and v Fig. 6 is a plan looking upward from Elie under side as in Fig. 2 upon the forward The two runners of the sled, one on each side, are made of two strips, the upper one being numbered 1 and the lower one being numbered 2 in the drawings.

These two strips are placed together edgewise and are fastened by screws 5 or otherwise as desired.

The upper strip 1, as here shown, extends from the rear of the sled to the front on a comparatively straight piece. which, as the forward end is somewhat broadened out and made more rigid is to form the upturned forward end of the sled.

The lower strip is cut out at its upper edge more or less between the cross pieces which form the body and that portion which extends from the first cross bar to the forward end of the sled.

The lower strip 2 is not only cut down on top but a portion is taken out at the side, as shown in Fig. 2, making the lower portion of the runner, forward of the front cross bar of considerable less ,thickness than the upper portion of strip 1.

The forward portion of the runner is turned upward slightly in the usual way of such sleds and the rear portion is also turned slightly upward. The round shoe 21 which is designed to fit the lower edge of the runner is what is called spring shoe, that is to say, it is flattened at the end and bends clear of the center so that as the sled is flexed, the shoe is bent parallel with the bottom of the runner. The shoe 21 and the runner are separated at the center so that the sled will get the benefit of the spring of the shoe.

The forward end of the shoe is somewhat flattened where it turns up with the lower edge of the runner with an eye in its extreme forward end.

The rear end of the runner is bent upward and held in a socket formed by the clip 6 formed by a metal strap which is bent around the inclined rear end of the runner. The strap thus forms a socket which receives the entire size of the shoe holding it solid.

The shoe thus rotates when the sled is bent or flexed within the socket.

The sled is furnished with boards in the usual way to provide a seat, A central bolts or screws 5.

The cross bar 1: is secured to the side of the sled by means of a yoke 12 having a hor izontal flange 12 secured to the cross bar on the under side. it also has a pair of vertical flanges 13 which extend in a parallel direction downward embracing. the upper strip 1 and the lower strip 2. See Fig.

The flanges 13 of which there is one on each side of the runner, are so arranged that they do not hug; closely the sides of the.

two strips but allow for a slight motion of the side pieces or runners to allow for the flexing of the sled.

To allow for this motion each of the flanges 13 touch the wood only at its center, the inner surface being slightly curved hori- Zontally.

Means are provided for flexing the forward end of tne sled to provide for the steering of the same and for this purpose the forward end 8' of the central board 8 is prolonged to a point well forward of the bOC y and at this point a flat metal. bar 11 is pivoted to the forward end of the board at the point 16.

The forward end of the bar 15 is pivoted by the pivot 17 at the junction of the two links 18 and 19 which extend across the front end of the sled and are pivoted to the same at their outer ends by pivots 20. (Fig. 1.)

There is thus a cross bar made up of the two links 18 and 19 which are pivoted together at the center with a lever 15 pivoted at this junction point by the pivot 17.

The foot steering: lever 14: is firmly secured to the bar 15 and at right angles thereto so that by pushing on either foot the sled may be steered in the ordinary way.

I claim l. A laterally flexible sled having runners comprising an upper and a lower strip secured together edgewise, the upper strip being stiffer than the lower strip; a cross bar GOUZ'IHftlI'HZ the runners near their rear ends and a nether cross bar connecting them midway of their ends to provide a long laterally flexible portion forward. of the midway cross bar; a seat mounted on said cross bars; a steering foot lever at the forward portion of the sled for flexing the runners; and shoes on said runners secured thereto at the ends.

2. A laterally flexible sled, having two runners each composed of an upper and a lower strip secured together edgewise, cross bars uniting said runners, a center board and side boards resting on and secured to said cross bars, a pair of links pivoted together at their ends, each link pivoted by its outer end to the forward point of one of the runners, a steering foot lever having a transverse central foot lever bar pivoted by its forward end to the joining pivot of said links and by its rear end to the forward end of the central board and round shoe for said runners each secured at forward and rear ends.

3. A sled comprising a runner having strips joined edgewise together whose forward portions are flexible laterally of the sled, the lower strip being more flexible than a strip above it; a shoe attached to the ends of said runner and flexible therewith; and means for flexing said runner and with it the shoe, whereby the sled is steered.

RALPH A. LESLUG. 

